#protestant scholasticism

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Design and Scope of the Atonement

In an age wherein the ground of theology has been saturated by the torrential downpour of existential thinking, it seems almost suicidal, like facing the open floodgates riding a raft made of balsa wood, to appeal to a seventeenth-century theologian to address a pressing theological issue...

[churchhistorychef-blog]

The Christian World, When a Pietist Suggested that Universities Could Contribute to Spiritual Growth and Evangelism

The 1600s had been a bit rough, in a variety of ways.  First, of course, there were the Wars of Religion, in which Christians kept killing each other in the name of their version of the faith!  Second, some Protestant Christians had responded by suggesting that true and accurate Christianity was to be found in having really pure DOCTRINE (a movement we call “Protestant Scholasticism”; see this link for a nice discussion of the ways it can manifest itself).  But other Christians responded by emphasizing the “heart,” personal and communal experiences of God, etc., and they became known as “Pietists.”  One of the important figures in this movement is August Hermann Francke, a Lutheran who had a kind of spiritual awakening, thus leading him to all sorts of good works, including the establishment of an orphanage and school.  But he is perhaps most remembered for helping to found the modern trajectory of the University of Halle as a school that was a truly “Christian university,” not just a university that happened to teach Christianity.  You can read more about Francke at this link, read about his work at this link, read selections from his autobiography at this link, and of course consult his Wikipedia page at this link.

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